Tenacity Has Its Place; So Does Instrospection

There was a time in my life when tenacity was how I proved my worth. Tenacity was how I got seen. Tenacity was how I felt good about myself. Tenacity was how I felt belonging and the right to sit at the table. It was effort. It was work. It was competition. I relied on tenacity. Tenacity was good. Until it wasn’t. Or until it became one of a few orientations to develop.

Near the start of 2021, I was in a conversation with my New Zealand pal Glen Lauder. Glen helped inspire a few thoughts that I included in this article, Leadership at 50 — Three Questions for Recovering Tenacious Leaders.

I’m thinking of all of this tenacity stuff in part because I’ve worked with two groups of younger people recently. Younger people who are very oriented to accomplishment. Very oriented to tenacity.

My job, I think, has been to encourage them in what they do, but also do bring a bit of wisdom and I would say soulfulness, to what they do. For example, it is a project manager’s job to really track detail and schedule. It’s impressive. But not all are meant to be project managers. Or not meant to be project managers forever. Some grow from those talents and experiences into the less detailed approach that is vision, story, and narrative. I loved the “older” leader in one of these recent groups who referenced the book, The Boys In The Boat, a non-fiction account of a 1930s rowing crew that had to learn the art and spirit of rowing, not just the braun. Not just the tenacity.

So, enjoy this read (the article and the book). Perhaps you will find a bit to feed your continued journey of leadership and what gifts are yours to contribute.

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Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

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In My Nature
is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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Most Mornings is a collection of 37 poems. I loved writing them. From the introduction: "This collection of poems comes from some of my sense-making that so often happens in the morning, nurtured by overnight sleep. The poems sample practices. They sample learnings. They sample insights and discoveries. They sample dilemmas and concerns."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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